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You’ve probably heard me mention once or twice now that I lost both of my Grandmas within just a few months of each other. The majority of the furniture and the old farmhouse and the whole journey started with the passing of my mom’s mom (Grandma Charlotte) whose farm house I renovated and is now mine. My dad’s mom (Grandma Eleonora) was not what I would have called a hoarder (she just knew how to keep a lot of things) so my dad and his siblings told all of their kids to head over there and pick what they wanted. This rocking chair was one of the pieces I chose and got to keep!

(8/1/2019 WOWSER its been four years since this post came out and I can’t believe how far I’ve come! You can see this lovely little rocking chair is still with me and taking up a corner in my brand newly remodeled guest bedroom!)

This is an old rocking chair that I’ve run into time and time again on pinterest so it is not an uncommon rocker. However, I have not yet seen one with the same wood design as mine, but the shape and general idea is the same.

I had never reupholstered anything before so this was a real learning curve for me because there was no way I was going to keep that ancient pinkish fabric, eeeww.

I also wanted to sand it down and stain it darker but this old rocker did not take stain very well nor did it sand well, nor was it worth it. I should have just added another coat of poly to the wood and called it a day but, ya live, ya learn, ya know.

All I can say is that this turned into a much nastier and messier project then I had ever anticipated. The seat was full of some kind of straw and stuff that became like dust and the amount of staples and nails used on all of it was absolutely mind boggling.

After two hours of pulling staples and an entire garbage bag full of the incredible amount of stuff that it had been stuffed with, it was ready to be remade and I was ready to never see it again. At some point in this rocking chair’s life it lost the support that had been in the seat.

This rocking chair is bigger then it looks and it really needed something besides fabric for that big seat so I picked up a bunch of 1x2s and cut them down to size and covered the seat with a bit of a gap between them, I did the same with the back of the chair too. From there I covered it in batting and chose the coolest fabric that I could find….

Its not very cool is it? Yeah… well… Admittedly I should have looked harder but my little home town only had so much to choose from. Its ok…. I guess… but I suppose I will probably redo it someday… As for now though I’m pretty happy with the fabric on this old rocking chair, it should did brighten it up a bit!

Taking a cue from This Awesome Blog I used trim to cover up all of my seams (hot glue guns are AWESOME, never mind the burns) and basically I just stretched the fabric and stapled it down.

What I would do different now that I’ve done this. I would spend more time picking out fabric. I would NOT stretch my fabric so tightly. I don’t know why I thought it had to be as tight as possible but no, it doesn’t need to be stranglehold tight, I figured this out after I had already screwed up the seat. Oh well. I will fix it someday but, for right now, I like it fine 🙂

And I think Grandma Eleonora would be really happy with her old rocking chair!

I’m new to to your blog but think you are the sweetest thing to take on these projects to keep your grandma’s things and update them for your old/new home. I came over from Vintage Charm- it’s nice to meet you, Tarah!

I think your chair turned out amazing! I admire you for taking on such a difficult reupholstery project. We never know what surprises are under old fabric. The new fabric you chose is fun and fabulous! Thanks so much for sharing at Vintage Charm.

Sometimes the projects we think should be the easiest and simplest turn out to be the hardest with the biggest headaches 😉 You learned so much from this though and in the end produced a pretty fantastic makeover! Well done! It looks lovely! You should be proud of it.. it is a special piece. Your grandmother would be proud! If you are at all interested in joining in one more weekly party, I host Making Broken Beautiful over at the Curator’s Collection. It runs every Thursday thru Sunday and is a furniture and home decor party. I would be happy to host your talents! You do lovely work! I hope you have a great weekend! Smiles! Terryhttp://thecuratorscollection.wordpress.com Making Broken Beautiful

Terry thank you so much and for coming by! I’ll definitely go check out Making Broken Beautiful, sounds like a place I would fit right in 🙂 Thank you! I’m so relieved it turned out well! I still think I might change up the fabric one day but, for now, I love how bright and funky it is!

Wow, Tarah, what an amazing transformation! You certainly have an amazing talent! I don’t think I could even begin to take on such a project! Thank you so much for sharing this over at the Celebrate Your Story! link party! I am pinning this one to my Crafty furniture board!

Love this chair and the fabric you picked! Beautiful! I’ve seen a couple of your posts. I would love to see pictures of the backs of your pieces (especially the rocker). I’m toying with the idea of reupholstering a chair and would be interested in how you finished the back.

The back is a solid piece of fabric stretched and stapled around the edges and cut to size, then the edging/staples I just covered up with that pretty little trim and lots of hot glue 🙂 Thanks for coming by!!

After ripping off the fabric I discovered there was no actual support for the seat so I bought some really thin strips of wood and just ran a few of them over it for support tacking them down with nails 🙂 Thank you for coming by!

Tarah, you did an amazing job! As a furniture restoring queen from way back, I hear you on the sheer volume of work involved in bringing these pieces back to life. Your rocking chair looks fabulous and I bet your Grandmother would be proud. I’d love it if you’d come and share this project at my Five Star Frou-Frou linkup at A Tray of Bliss. We’d love to host you. Mimi xxx

How goregous this is. I love the pattern you chose and the colors are vibrant. Nice work. I bet it is comfy to sit in too. Rocking chairs are so relaxing. Thanks for sharing your masterpiece with us at my party this week.

I think the fabric is beautiful. This is an amazing makeover. I am happy to read your tips, I have a chair I am thinking about, but I am a little afraid and a little hesitant. Thanks so much for sharing this at Celebrate Your Story!

I love that you saved something old but made it your own. I love the bright colors in the fabric you chose. It really looks so much brighter and more fun than the old pink stuff. Great project. Thank you so much for sharing to the Monday Mish Mash. *Hugs*

I have to say I love the fabric – but then I’m a Grandma, lol! I really like that you talked about some of the learning process – and what you can get into!! Thanks for sharing with us at Throwback Thursday!

Awesome job! Did I understand it correctly that you made a support for both the seat and back before adding the batting? I’m considering redoing an old chair, too, and am encouraged with your success. Thanks for sharing!

Hi Zenda! I did add supports to the seat and the back because there was nothing there! I went to my local lumber yard and bought the thinnest trim I could find, I don’t think it was more then 1/4 inch thick and only about an 1 and 1/2 wide, I was able to cut it with a big pair of wire cutters lol. I just tacked several slats down on the seat and back with little nails and a hammer. I knew the fabric etc would give it a lot of support so it didn’t need to be too serious – so sorry I didn’t get pictures of that! Thanks!

Taralynn, I love the rocking chair … I have one that I just won’t give up. It was my great-grandma’s and I have reupholstered it many times. I love that chair. When I sit in it, which is every night, the rocking soothes me and I can feel my great-grandma’s love. You did a beautiful job with your fabric choice! Thank you so much for sharing with us at #SimplifyWednesdays ! Pinned, Tweeted, Shared

I love how you transformed the rocker. Love that fabric. Someday I want to learn how to do it. Haven’t made the time yet, but I keep getting inspired by people like you. Thanks for sharing at Let’s Get Real Party.

Karen, it actually wasn’t that hard, I was very apprehensive going into it but I think the rocker was probably the easiest project I could have tackled when it came to upholstery! Thank you for coming by!

I love how this chair turned out – the fabric was a great choice for the update. This whole post warmed my heart – would you believe that my middle name is Eleonora? Spelled just the same as your grandmother’s name. I don’t see it very often. Thank you for sharing on Family Joy Blog Link-Up Party. Have a great week!

Thank you Christina! Ya know for most of my Grandma’s life she just went by “Eleanor” because it was easier but she told me not long before her passing that her full name (and correct pronunciation) was “Eleonora” and I just loved it! In my head now I think of her as Leo 😉

Hi Tarah, My condolences on losing your grandmas. What a great idea about the furniture. Glad you and your man found each other. Thanks for bringing your post to Blogger’s Pit Stop last week. Janice, Pit Stop Crew

You did a great job Tarah! And I like the fabric~everybody needs some color in their life right? I redid a chair recently and when it came time to take the seat off and the old fabric off, I felt the same way. I touched it as little as possible to use it as a template to cut my new fabric, lol. It was so disgusting, which I guess is just the age, but the fillers they used to cover it with, ugh, some of it I had no idea what it was, lol. I’ll have to send you a pic of the finished chair, I love it! And guess where I got my fabric? It’s a fabric shower curtain! Worked out perfectly! Your grandmother would definitely be proud! Candy

Hello Tarah, It’s really awesome makeover your rocking chair. Really, love your post. You create a new look this rocking chair. Great work! It is so romantic with the new fabric. My sister has a nursing rocking chair. I also create a new look my sister nursing rocking chair.Thank you share an awesome post.

Thank you for being so honest about your struggles and triumphs with this project! So often all we see is a beautiful finished project, and we assume it was super easy and then we get frustrated when we try it ourselves and find it to be much more challenging than we anticipated. You did a beautiful job! The fabric is cheerful, and I agree that the detailing on that chair is unique, I’ve never seen anything like it! Beautiful! Thanks for sharing at My Busy Beehives #beeparty this week! Please come again!

Thank you so much Julie! I really try to be honest whenever I post about a project so often bloggers online make it look so easy and that’s normally not the case – DIY can be really hard lol But SO worth it in the end!

What a gorgeous fabric! You have made such a lovely job of this chair! Family furniture is so precious. It really is hard losing those you love so close together. My parents died within 6 weeks of each other and it took me years to come to terms with it. Your chair make over is a lovely tribute to your Grandma. Thank you so much for sharing with us at The Hearth and Soul Link Party.

Oh that’s fab. I’m so impressed that you managed to change the whole feel of the rocking chair by switching it’s fabric to something much more modern. It’s gorgeous. Thanks for sharing with the #dreamteam xx

Ah so sorry to hear about the loss of both of your grandmas. But that chair is absolutely gorgeous and I’m glad you’ve got lovely memories of her in your home. Thanks so much for linking up at #fortheloveofBLOG. Claire x

Love it! I found an antique rocking chair and stripped the seat fabric and old foam but the back side is more difficult to pull out. I painted the fabric but not sure I love it. Are there any special tools or tricks to remove the fabric on the back support?

Hi Cynthia, I’m sorry to say I have no secrets when it came to getting the fabric off. It was royal pain in the BUTT! I used several pairs of pliers, I think the needle nose was the most effective. I also used flat headed screw drivers to help get under the screws. Good luck!!

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I’m Tarah!

There is nothing I love more then making something new and usable again that someone else would have thrown out or torn down. Find out more about me, how I renovated my Grandparents’ 100 year old house and how I am a total DIY fanatic by checking out The story behind Storyhardt Farm You can also find out more about the amazing Grandma behind this blog who moved in to this old farmhouse with my Grandpa nearly 70 years ago!

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